Introduced in tennis racket

ABSTRACT

Improvement introduced in tennis racket, applied to any racket traditionally used for the practice of tennis, independently of the material it is made of, ordinarily constituted by a strong oval ring ( 1 ) made of graphite, ceramic, metal or other suitable material, having held to its inner portion a not ( 2 ) formed by tensioned and crossed strings. while externally and aligned to its major axle there is an elongated anatomic handle ( 3 ) with a faceted crossed section. being that the said racket includes a contrasting color system for the orientation regarding the different positions the racket must be held by the tennis player, what shall quite enhance and speed up the learning process for kids and adults.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] More particularly the present invention relates to a color systemapplied to tennis rackets, aiming the characterization of rapid visualeffects that help a lot to learning the racket proper holding, andconsequently, adding a more efficient mean to enhance the job of thespecialists in teaching said game of English background, enabling quitemore those who are initiating in such sport that, although simple andpossible to be practiced by anybody, demands a certain technique.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] As already known in the art, the racket is a manual instrumentused for hitting the tennis ball, being this way, built of a strong ovalring made of a sort of materials, among which is found wood, plastic,graphite, aluminum or ceramic, where a net made of tensioned strings isplaced and is handled through an elongated extremity.

[0003] Currently there is a very large variety of rackets, and theirmain objective is the same, that is grant to the user all resources forthe tennis match to be performed with the maximum result obtained withthe lowest energetic waste.

[0004] Looking through this point of view, the current rackets todayoffered by the market does not offer the proper means to speed up thehitting technique learning process and so, the beginners startpracticing the game with the same kind of rackets used by those who arealready skilled in the sport.

[0005] The unique innovations were proposed in the sense of make easierthe handling by adults, kids and old people through rackets of differentsizes and materials, as for example shorter rackets with a large ringfor kids, rackets lighter and more powerful for old people, among otherthings.

[0006] In order to learn the right hand hits and the left hand hits, theright swings and the left swings and the service, the majority of thetennis teaching professionals community says that the racket handlesshould be changed for the beginners, what is a known method nowadays,but does not produce satisfactory results.

[0007] Along the process of learning how to play tennis, adults and kidsface, for some while a lot of confusion related to the correct way ofholding the racket. This difficulty is more intense for the kids, mainlythose under 6 years old, once such kids besides being in a phase ofdeveloping their motion coordination, they still make a lot of confusion(they do not “know” by hart) which is the right side and which is theleft side of the body, and a lot of them have not yet defined theirlateral dominance (if their skilled side is the right one or the leftone) it means if they are going to hold the racket with the right or theleft hand.

[0008] A challenge even greater is faced by the left-handed kids,because in some places the hits are called “right” and “left”independently of the tennis player dominant hand.

[0009] An important fact to be highlighted is the original name given tothe right side hit and to the left side hit: “forehand” and “backhand”.Such terminology is roughly based on what part of the hand is facing thegame net in the moment the ball impacts the racket.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Because of said above mentioned and other reasons, as well asbeing aimed with the objective of overcoming them, including a lot ofadvantages and doing all that with a new technical effect, it wasdeveloped the invention herewith, that does not imply in significantchanges in the racket itself or in its manufacturing process, but quiteenhances and speeds up the process of learning how to play tennis.

[0011] The improvement herein is provided only by placing a color systemin any racket, where each side will be painted or manufactured in adifferent and contrasting color, in a way that both sides of the racketcan be visually distinct. In such a manner that, for each color is givena distinct characteristic, defining this way, the side for the righthand hit or “forehand hit” and the side for the left hand hit or“backhand hit”.

[0012] In this condition, the system can be defined by any contrastingcolors.

[0013] On the other hand, the handle of the racket also includes colorsto complete the system and, in this case, the said handle presentspreferably a faceted cross section, such as eight facets. Three of themwill be colored according to the color of the referred side. This way,the tennis players will identify how to hold the handle to perform theto the demanded hit by the three colored strips: one color for thebackhand hit of right-handed and left-handed tennis players painted intwo distinct facets of the handle; and another color for the forehandhit of right-handed and left-handed tennis players painted in one thirdfacet of the handle.

[0014] In this way, the color system helps kids and adults that arebeginners in playing tennis, to identify the right hits (forehand) andleft hits (backhand) more easily, being enough for that, to place thecenter of the hand palm over the correspondent color facet.

[0015] For a better comprehension of the present invention, it will bedescribed below in details, being such description related to theattached drawings that are presented only to make clearer which are theparts that shall present the determined contrasting colors.

[0016]FIG. 1 shows a plane view of a racket;

[0017]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the same racket;

[0018]FIG. 3 shows a view of the “A-A” section indicated in the FIG. 1;

[0019]FIG. 4 shows a view of the handle cross section of the saidracket; and

[0020]FIGS. 5 and 6 show illustrations of the forehand and backhandhits.

[0021] According to these illustrations and in its details, moreparticularly in FIG. 1, the present improvement is possible to beapplied to any racket traditionally used for practicing tennis,independently of the material in which the racket is made of, such asthat shown in FIG. 1, where it can be verified that the same is usuallybuilt in a strong oval ring (1) made of graphite, ceramic, metal orother suitable material, having in the inner side of the ring (1) a net(2) made of tensioned and crossed strings held to the said ring (1),while in the outer side of the ring (1) there is an elongation portion,aligned with its major axle herein called anatomic handle (3) with afaceted cross section.

[0022] According to what is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the inventionherein is characterized by the fact that the sides (L1) and (L2) of thering (1) and the net (2) present different and contrasting colors (C1)and (C2), where each side of a different color makes reference to adifferent way of holding the handle (3), and also, the same colors areapplied to the facets of the anatomic handle (3), where said colors areequally indicated as (C1) and (C2).

[0023] The colors (C1) and (C2) can be provided by any industrialprocess, being it through painting or the manufacturing material coloritself.

[0024] Eventually, the colors (C1) and (C2) can be applied only to thesides (L1) and (L2) of the oval ring (1) and to the handle (3), leavingthe net (2) in its original manufacturing color, such as transparent orsimilar.

[0025] To solve the problem in pre-existing rackets, it is possible theuse of a suitable ink and an ordinary painting process.

[0026] This way, the novelty proposed by the present invention is asystem of different colors for determined parts of the racket, in a waythat such colors can be used to speed up learning the various ways ofholding the handle (3), as well as the various ways of managing the saidracket.

[0027] Related to FIGS. 5 and 6, only as a practical example, it is, inthe following, used two distinct colors, blue (C1) and red (C2). In thiscondition, the FIG. 5 shows the right or forehand hit and is representedby the red color (C2), and the FIG. 6 shows the left or the backhand hitthat is represented by the blue color (C1). In the same way, the rackethandle has eight facets. Three of them painted according to what isshown in FIG. 4, bearing in mind that the exemplified colors: one faceblue (C1), one face red (C2), and one face blue (C1). This way, thebeginners kids and the adults can identify the proper way to hold thehandle by the colors backhand right-handed blue (C1), forehandright-handed and left-handed red (C2) and backhand left-handed blue(C1).

[0028] In this way, the color system will help kids and adults toidentify the right hits (forehand) and left hits (backhands) moreeasily.

[0029] Placing the center of the hand palm over the red color facet, itwill be in the anatomic position to perform the forehand hit and placingit over the blue color facet, it will be in the anatomic position toperform the backhand hit and this is valid for the right-handed and theleft-handed people.

1 IMPROVEMENT INTRODUCED IN TENNIS RACKET, possible to be applied to anyracket traditionally used for the practice of tennis, independently ofthe material, ordinarily constituted by a strong oval ring (1) made ofgraphite, ceramic, metal or other suitable material, having held to itsinner portion a net (2) formed by tensioned and crossed strings, whileexternally and aligned to its major axle there is an elongated anatomichandle (3) with a faceted cross section, characterized by the fact ofincluding a contrasting color system for the orientation of thedifferent holding positions, being for such purpose that the sides (L1)and (L2) of the ring (1) and the net (2) present different andcontrasting colors (C1) and (C2), where each side of one colorcorrespond to one way of holding the racket, as well as the same colorsare applied to the facets of the anatomic handle (3). 2 IMPROVEMENTINTRODUCED IN TENNIS RACKET, according to claim 1, characterized by thefact that the colors (C1) and (C2) can be provided by any industrialprocess, being it given due to painting or due to the color of theapplied material itself. 3 IMPROVEMENT INTRODUCED IN TENNIS RACKET,according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the colors (C1) and(C2) are applied only to sides (L1) and (L2) of the oval ring (1) and atthe handle (3), leaving the net (2) in its original manufacturing color.